"Alucent Luci"
Elder Kael's voice hit him before he even got through the doorway properly and Alucent felt his stomach twist up with anxiety about what was coming, the Green Council Chamber spread out in front of him and it was maybe 100 square meters of space with Ironvine walls that had these brass veins running through the dark wood and they caught light from the chandeliers overhead, there were Glowroses lining the benches where Council members sat and the flowers put out this really soft amber glow that mixed with light from a Runewell in the center that was pulsing with energy and was maybe two meters across.
It was 8:00 PM and through the frosted windows, he could see actual stars which was kind of amazing after days of nothing but gray smog everywhere, temperature outside had dropped to about 12°C but inside it felt warm from the Steamsewer system that ran beneath the building and kept everything heated up, his frock coat had been cleaned during the rest period and he was trying really hard to look determined instead of terrified but he wasn't sure if that was actually working.
Elder Kael was sitting at the center bench and staring at him with green eyes that seemed way too sharp for someone maybe 60 years old, he was about 5'5" with white hair and wearing these rune-etched robes that had symbols Alucent didn't recognize and marked him as senior Rune Covenant member, the kind of person who actually understood advanced magical theory instead of just making political decisions based on what seemed convenient.
"We have reviewed reports of your performance in Iron Vale" Elder Kael said and didn't waste any time with pleasantries or formal greetings "The loss of Miss Mira represents significant blow to resistance operations and the civilian casualty during Runewell vault infiltration raises concerns about your ability to maintain precision under combat stress"
Here it comes, all the failures about to get laid out in official evaluation, Mira's death because he picked wrong priorities and the worker explosion because his hand slipped during trap disarmament and the weak speed rune that almost crashed them during the Steamwagon escape.
Raya was standing next to him and her cloak looked fresh instead of shredded, someone had repaired it during their rest time and her facial scar was positioned carefully so it wasn't really visible, she knew how to present herself during formal evaluations which made sense given how long she'd been doing this resistance work, Tavin had a new tunic on and his hazel eyes looked curious instead of filled with prophetic terror, the Runetoken around his neck was pulsing with steady rhythm and he seemed way more stable than he'd been in Iron Vale.
Gryan's mechanical arm was gleaming from recent polishing and he looked confident in that way that suggested he wasn't worried about Council judgment, Sir Vorn stood off to the side with his monocle polished clean and his rune-etched cane glowing with faint amber light, ready to provide professional commentary if the Council asked for his assessment which would probably be really harsh given how critical he'd been about emotional interference affecting inscription quality.
"The tactical situation in Iron Vale was really complicated by environmental interference and time pressure" Alucent said trying to keep his voice steady "I prioritized weapon enhancement over protective runes because I thought maximizing offensive capability would end combat faster and reduce overall risk"
"Your tactical reasoning was flawed" Elder Kael replied and his tone wasn't quite as harsh as Sir Vorn's had been but it was still pretty critical "Weapon enhancement provides temporary advantage but protective runes ensure survival which is necessary for completing extended operations, this represents fundamental misunderstanding of mission priorities"
The criticism was accurate and Alucent knew it, he'd made the wrong choice because he was still thinking like someone from Earth where flashy offense seemed way more important than boring defense, but in this world people actually died from his mistakes and the priorities were completely different, he needed to adjust his thinking but that was easier to understand than actually do.
"I understand the error" he said and it felt really inadequate as a response "Going forward I'll prioritize protective applications over offensive enhancement"
"Understanding past errors is insufficient if similar mistakes recur" Elder Kael said and adjusted his rune-etched robes with careful movements of his hands "We need demonstration of improved capability before assigning you to critical operations, which is why we are tasking you with specific objective that will test your ability to function under pressure"
A test mission felt way better than getting dismissed from resistance operations entirely but the fact that they needed to test his capability meant the Council wasn't confident he could handle important assignments without additional proof, it was kind of humiliating but probably fair given how badly recent events had gone.
"There is an Iron Vale outpost that contains strategic intelligence about Eloha's fortress defenses" Elder Kael explained and gestured toward maps that were spread across a nearby table with his hand "We need you to infiltrate the location and secure documents that detail patrol patterns and runic security systems, the operation will require advanced inscription work plus tactical coordination with your team"
An infiltration mission into hostile territory felt like exactly the sort of high-risk thing where his emotional interference might get people killed again, but refusing would basically confirm he was too compromised to function and result in immediate reassignment to whatever safe boring work they gave people they couldn't trust.
"I can handle the infiltration" Alucent said with way more confidence than he actually felt inside "What kind of security are we expecting at the outpost?"
"Standard Coalition defenses plus enhanced runic barriers" Elder Kael replied and checked documentation that was laid out on his bench in front of him "Approximately 12 guards with basic Runeforce training and at least two Shadebinders who specialize in void-aligned detection that will make concealment runes less effective, you'll need creative approaches rather than relying on standard infiltration techniques we normally use"
Twelve guards plus Shadebinders, that some really serious opposition and the void-aligned detection would compromise their ability to use concealment magic for approach and escape, the kind of tactical challenge that required really good planning instead of just improvising and hoping things worked out somehow.
Elder Kael was pulling out a Voidshard crystal from storage beneath his bench and the blue-white energy contained inside pulsed with power that felt dangerous even from several meters away, it was worth maybe 200 Silverweaves and contained compressed Runeforce energy that could enhance combat capabilities or be used for advanced runic applications if someone knew what they were doing.
"Before we authorize the mission I need you to demonstrate current capability" the elder said and held up the Voidshard with really careful hands "Etch a binding rune that can safely contain this crystal's energy without triggering detonation or corruption, Thread 3 level work that requires perfect stability despite the pressure of performing before Council observation"
Fuck! this is way worse than the protection rune test Sir Vorn assigned. Because now there are multiple people watching and judging every aspect of technique and any failure gets witnessed by the leadership that determines entire future role.
"The binding pattern should be approximately 10 square centimeters" Elder Kael said as if this was just routine instruction instead of high-stakes evaluation "White glow indicating stability-aligned principles mixed with containment architecture, standard configuration for securing volatile Runeforce materials that might explode"
Alucent pulled out his Runequill and the tool was slightly shaking in his hand from anxiety and residual exhaustion from earlier magical work in the vault and with the speed rune, he found a section of Ironvine table near where Elder Kael was sitting with his robes and started etching the binding rune despite pressure making it really hard to maintain steady Runeforce flow through his connection to the Runewell.
The white light cut through the chamber's amber glow as he channeled power from the central Runewell in the middle of the room, the Runeforce source was much more stable than anything in Iron Vale and provided smooth energy flow that should have made inscription work pretty straightforward, but anxiety was creating the same sort of emotional interference that guilt had caused earlier and his hand was shaking badly enough that precision seemed basically impossible to achieve.
I just need steady lines and proper containment architecture, can't let anxiety mess this up again, not when the entire Council is sitting there watching and analyzing whether I'm competent enough.
The binding rune was flickering as Shadowcage Taboos pressed against his consciousness with warnings about corruption risk getting really high, maybe 25 percent chance of insanity if he pushed the inscription too hard while already dealing with emotional interference from Council pressure watching him, reality distortion was creeping in around the edges of his vision and the white glow was wavering with dangerous instability that suggested the whole thing might collapse.
"Rune stability is compromised" Sir Vorn observed from his position at the side of the chamber with his cane "Emotional interference is affecting your ability to maintain consistent inscription quality, which validates concerns about whether you can function effectively during high-pressure situations like combat"
The criticism made everything worse because it was completely accurate and now the entire Council was seeing proof that Sir Vorn's negative assessment was totally justified, Alucent forced himself to continue etching the binding pattern despite panic making his concentration fragment into basically useless pieces that couldn't maintain focus.
"I can stabilize the rune" he said though his voice sounded way less confident than the actual words suggested "Just need to compensate for the emotional interference by increasing Runeforce flow through the inscription"
"Increasing power flow without addressing underlying instability will result in catastrophic failure" Elder Kael warned as he watched the flickering white glow with concerned expression "You need to resolve the emotional interference rather than attempting to overpower it through brute force application of more energy"
But how was he supposed to resolve anxiety when the source of the anxiety was literally sitting right there in front of him watching him fail at basic inscription work, this was exactly the sort of circular problem where the pressure created the interference which created more pressure in a cycle that just kept getting worse and worse.
The binding rune wavered as his hand slipped slightly and the containment architecture started to collapse from instability, white light fading to almost nothing before Alucent managed to stabilize the pattern through desperate focus that felt like it was tearing something inside his mind apart, the inscription locked into place around the Voidshard crystal with barely adequate stability that might hold or might not.
"Acceptable work" Elder Kael said after examining the binding rune with really critical attention to detail "The containment architecture shows significant weakness from emotional interference but should function adequately for securing the crystal during transport to wherever it needs to go"
Acceptable felt like really weak praise but at least it meant he hadn't completely failed the demonstration in front of everyone, the binding rune was holding and the Voidshard wasn't detonating or leaking corrupted energy through gaps in the containment matrix, barely adequate performance that proved he retained some capability despite anxiety and pressure messing with his work.
The sound of movement was coming from the chamber entrance and Alucent could see a cloaked figure maybe 6'0" tall moving toward them that marked them as a Shadebinder, the assassin had somehow infiltrated the tower despite the protection rune on the main door and was moving toward the Council benches with void-corrupted blade drawn and ready for killing.
"Shadebinder in the chamber" Gryan shouted with his voice and his mechanical arm extended to intercept the assassin in a three second sequence that sent sparks flying everywhere between enhanced brass and void-aligned steel, the hydraulic systems in his arm screamed from impact but managed to deflect the blade away from Elder Kael's position on the bench.
Alucent's binding rune was still active on the table in front of him and he realized the white glow could be redirected toward the Shadebinder if he modified the containment architecture quickly enough, five seconds of really rapid inscription work that converted stability principles into aggressive binding that wrapped around the assassin like crystallized energy holding them in place.
The Shadebinder stumbled as the binding took effect and grabbed at them and Raya was already moving with her Weaveblade in a five second combat sequence that drove the assassin back toward the entrance with her enhanced speed, her professional technique forcing the infiltrator to retreat rather than risk capture by superior numbers, the cloaked figure disappeared through a window with really frustrating efficiency that suggested extensive training.
"Security breach represents serious concern" Elder Kael said as guards rushed into the chamber to secure the space with their weapons "A Shadebinder infiltrating the tower suggests Coalition intelligence about Council operations is more extensive than we realized or hoped"
There was shouting coming from somewhere else in the tower and the sound of an explosion echoed through the Ironvine walls with really loud noise, someone screaming and then silence that felt way worse than continued noise would have been, a guard had died off-page from what was probably a trap or secondary attack coordinated with the Shadebinder's infiltration attempt on the Council chamber.
Another person dead and this time it wasn't even directly Alucent's fault but it still felt connected to the mission and the dangerous operations that kept resulting in casualties happening, the weight of it pressed down on his consciousness and made the anxiety way worse than it already was.
"Your binding rune performed adequately during the Shadebinder engagement" Elder Kael said as if the guard's death was just routine war casualty that happened all the time "Which suggests you retain capability for useful magical applications when immediate danger provides focus, we are authorizing your participation in the Iron Vale outpost raid with understanding that failure will result in reassignment to other duties"
The authorization felt really conditional and fragile, like one more mistake would end his involvement in important operations entirely and he'd get stuck doing safe boring stuff, but at least he was still on the mission instead of being dismissed for incompetence right now.
Scattered near where the Shadebinder had retreated through the window were personal items that included 30 Silverweaves, probably equipment funds the assassin had been carrying for bribes or emergency purchases during operations, Tavin secured the coins with quick movements of his hands that suggested he had gotten way better at opportunistic looting during their time in hostile territory running from enemies.
"Thirty Silverweaves from the engagement" he said while checking the pouch contents with his fingers "Plus whatever tactical intelligence we can gain from the fact that Shadebinders are targeting Council chambers directly instead of just resistance operations"
The money represented practical resources they could use but the Shadebinder's infiltration meant Coalition forces were getting really aggressive about eliminating resistance leadership, probably because the intelligence they were gathering was actually threatening Eloha's operations in meaningful ways that mattered.
Near the chamber entrance someone had left maps of Iron Vale that showed really detailed layouts of industrial districts and identified locations of hidden Runewells and supply caches resistance fighters used, worth maybe 10 Copperweaves in normal circumstances but way more valuable for planning infiltration routes and escape paths through the occupied zones, Gryan arranged barter with a Council scribe who wanted updates about current conditions in the areas where Coalition controlled everything.
"Elder Kael has specific warnings about Eloha's Void Rune capabilities" Sir Vorn said as they prepared to leave the chamber through the door "The enhancement draws power from ancient sources that predate modern runic theory and operates according to principles we don't fully understand anymore"
"Ancient sources like what Tavin's visions showed beneath the fortress?" Alucent asked though he was pretty sure he didn't actually want to know the real answer.
"Exactly like that" Elder Kael confirmed and adjusted his rune-etched robes with his hands "Eloha has accessed pre-war magical infrastructure that was buried and forgotten centuries ago during the conflicts, the power levels involved are approximately 10 times what normal Runewells can provide and the corruption effects are significantly more dangerous than standard Taboo manifestations we usually see"
Ten times normal power plus way worse corruption meant they were facing really more serious opposition than Alucent had realized before, the kind of magical advantage that couldn't be overcome through clever tactics or superior skill alone, they would need something equally powerful just to survive the final confrontation with Eloha in his fortress.
"The outpost raid is your opportunity to prove improved capability" Elder Kael said as the Council began dismissing and people started getting up "Secure the intelligence about fortress defenses and demonstrate that you can function effectively under pressure, failure will result in immediate reassignment and someone else will complete the mission to stop Eloha"
The ultimatum was pretty clear and Alucent felt the weight of it pressing down on his consciousness like physical burden, one more chance to prove he wasn't too compromised by emotional interference to handle important operations, the kind of high-stakes evaluation where everything depended on not making mistakes that got people killed.
"We should start planning the raid immediately" Raya said as they left the Council chamber through the doorway "The outpost operates on rotating schedules and there's a six-hour window tomorrow night when security will be reduced for shift changes between guards"
Six hours felt like not enough time but it was way better than trying to infiltrate during peak security when everyone was alert, the kind of tactical advantage that might make the difference between mission success and getting killed by overwhelming opposition they couldn't handle.
Gryan was already examining the maps with his eyes and identifying approach routes that would minimize exposure to patrol patterns the Coalition used, his mechanical arm tracing paths through Iron Vale's industrial maze while calculating timing and resource requirements for the infiltration operation, really professional planning that showed why he had survived this long in resistance operations without getting caught.
"The outpost is located near the sector where we hid the Voidshard crystals" Tavin said as his Runetoken pulsed with locational awareness about where things were "We could recover those during the raid and secure both the intelligence documents and the combat enhancement materials at the same time"
Recovering the Voidshard crystals worth 600 Silverweaves total would definitely be useful for the fortress assault when they finally got there, but it also meant adding objectives to an already complicated infiltration which increased risk of something going wrong and messing everything up, the kind of tactical decision where both options had really serious drawbacks to consider.
"We'll evaluate crystal recovery as secondary objective" Raya decided after considering the tactical implications with her mind "Primary focus is securing the intelligence documents because those are what the Council specifically assigned and failure means Alucent gets reassigned to safe duties"
The reminder that his future role depended on mission success made the anxiety way worse but Raya was right that they needed to prioritize the Council's objectives over opportunistic resource gathering that seemed convenient, professional discipline that Alucent needed to learn if he was going to function effectively in resistance operations instead of being a liability.
Outside the tower Eryndral's night sounds filtered through frosted windows and stars were visible through gaps in the usual smog that covered everything, normal city activity that felt weirdly peaceful compared to the high-stakes planning happening inside the chamber, somewhere out there Coalition forces were preparing their own operations and Shadebinders were regrouping after the failed Council chamber infiltration and Eloha was waiting in his fortress with ancient power that nobody fully understood how to counter.
The war was escalating with every chapter and every mission and Alucent was starting to realize that emotional interference wasn't just making his magical work unstable, it was threatening to end his participation in the mission entirely if he couldn't figure out how to function despite anxiety and guilt and all the other feelings that kept compromising his tactical effectiveness when it mattered most.
Tomorrow night they would raid the Iron Vale outpost and either prove he could handle pressure or confirm that the Council's concerns were totally justified about him being too compromised, the kind of binary outcome where there wasn't any middle ground between success and complete failure, his last real chance and everyone sitting in that chamber knew it.